Wednesday, 22 July 2015

GODHUNTER vs. DESTROYER OF LIGHT presents ‘Endsville’, a marriage of primal heaviness, a juggernaut release, pairing together two underground heavyweights slugging it out in a bid to out muscle each with nothing more than treacle thick riffs that culminate to form brand new material from both acts. Essentially two 12” EPs, they are united in a gatefold setup on two different colour of vinyl and will see a collaborative release through GODHUNTER’s co-owned Battleground Records and DESTROYER OF LIGHT’s Heavy Friends Records on July 24th.

If that wasn’t enough, the bands are gearing up for a mammoth collaborative tour together, which will see them maiming and pillaging the East Coast of America.

Both bands are well known to The Sludgelord, therefore nothing gave us greater pleasure than to be asked to sponsor this tour, so with ‘Endsville’ set for release on the 24th July and the tour kicking off on the 29th, please check out this exclusive interview about the forthcoming tour from both camps and if that wasn’t enough, we present the full and exclusive stream of ‘Endsville’ in it’s entirety.Hail the Riff

(SL) Guys, let’s get straight onto the imminent release of ‘Endsville’ and the subsequent tour.Who approached who in terms of making the release happen, had you a mutual admiration for each other’s music, toured with each other etc?

Steve Colca: David and the Godhunter dudes, we first met each other at Headhunters in Austin playing a show together. Since then, we’ve kept in contact. David and I found out that we have the same gumption and passion when it comes to our music and touring. So, David approached me about a split and tour, and we were all down for it.

Jake Brazelton: We met DoL playing in Austin awhile back. They were rad dudes and David stayed in contact with them. So we were thinking about doing a split release/tour with someone, David asked if we wanted to do it with Destroyer of Light and we were all stoked about it.

SL) What springs to mind when you think about the completion of your new split?

SC: Fuck, it’s about time! It’s always the getting the album pressed on the vinyl that is the stressful part. Writing the music, recording the album, and mixing/mastering is always the fun part. The rest is just the waiting game…

JB: I am just super stoked about getting it out there. I think it is some of the best songs we have written and I am real proud of them. I am super excited for everyone else to hear them.

(SL) Did you approach the composition of these songs differently given that the tracks would form part of this split?

SC: No, one of us always bring something to the table and then we all add our flavor. In the end, if the riffs are cool, and we all like it. Then, we feel that it is good enough to record. One coincidence was that we all wrote the lyrics based off a theme of “killing the masses,” and none of us talked about it prior. It just happened. So, that was eerie and cool at the same time.

JB: Not really. While writing the songs we tried to keep in mind the format of a split and keep the tracks short enough to fit. It didn’t end up working too well but fuck it, we tried.

(SL) How long was the gestation of ‘Endsville’ from conception to delivery?

SC: We started writing songs in September 2014, and then we went into the studio in November at Orb Studios with Matt Meli in November, and then we had the split mixed and sent for mastering in December. Then, the masters from James Plotkin came in the April. So, more than half a year. Like I said, fuck, it’s about time!

JB: We started working on new riffs as soon as ‘City of Dust’ ended. I am not sure how long the songs took to emerge from the riffs, but you can’t rush things like that. A few of these songs came for riffs I had been playing for a year or so. Some of them were written while jamming, which could turn into a complete song within an hour. So it depends really.

(SL) From a personal standpoint, split releases are great because you get two artists for the price of one, what are some of your personal highlights in terms of split release

over the years.

SC: Some splits that come to mind are the Church of Misery/Acrimony split, Orange Goblin/Electric Wizard split, and the Eyehategod/Soilent Green split. It’s cool because it’s usually two bands you dig, or maybe it’s one band you dig and you find a new band to like afterwards. It’s great promotion and exposure either way.

JB: I dug the Graves at Sea/ Sourvein split that came out last year. And the Red Fang/ASG split was great too.

(SL) You’re set to hit the road on the upcoming joint tour sponsored by The Sludgelord, what is the best and worst things about being a touring band, given there seems to be ongoing issues of gear being stolen from bands etc, does that affect the mindsight of the band going into it?

SC: The only time that we were REALLY worried about our gear was in St. Louis. I mean, obviously, we are protective of our gear and it is what we love to do. So, we are very cautious and attentive when it comes to our equipment.You are always have to be aware of your surroundings. The Best thing about tour is going to a new city every night, meeting new fans, or seeing the same fans from the last time you were in town, and playing music. The worst thing is when you don’t get a lot of sleep from long drives, partying too hard, or sleeping in the passenger seat of your van.

JB: Gear getting stolen would be fucking terrible but hopefully being careful will minimize that risk. The best things about touring is just being out on the road. Seeingnew places, meeting new people, getting to play my guitar every fucking day. The worst things about it is being away from home. Sleeping in a familiar bed every night,next to my fiancé.

(SL) What are your survival tips for the road?

SC: Bring tons of water, beer, and have a lot of snacks stored away for when you play the waiting game before going on stage. Have a nice place to crash in your van, so, everyone gets a chance to get some decent rest before the show. Always be cautious of your equipment. Find a nice rest stop/gas station to give yourself a manual release on a regular basis. Stay hydrated, loose, and have fun!

JB: Smoke weed, drink beer, masturbate.

(SL) One thing you can’t live without on the road?

SC: Music, a shit ton of music

JB: Naps.

(SL) Will you be playing the split in full in your respective sets?

SC: We are playing 3 out of the 4 songs on our split. We will be playing songs from every release from us thus far.

JB: Since two of the songs on our half of the split are acoustic, we will probably not beplaying those.But we will be playing the other four. Maybe not every night but they all will be played.

(SL) Fast forward then and finally, once the tour is over and your home reflecting on the countless miles you’ve driven, to play shows in venues you’ve destroyed with a cold beer in hand, what is the thing you want to take away from it?

SC: Just like every tour, I hope that we have gained more fans and grabbed people’s attention to the shit that we are doing, and will continue to do. Plus, fuck it was a lot of fun playing music and hanging out with all of our friends. Let’s get the next one going!

JB: That we made a couple more fans. Just hanging out with for awhile on the road with my best bros, playing music every night, drinking and smoking all while not having to go into the day job is really what all of this is about.

1 comment:

The places I saw here are really wonderful, celebrating a special event like this with the beauty of nature is really cool. When you are in this Chicago event space, there's nothing you can do than to be happy. I really liked it here.

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